After exploring Alfred Hitchcock, Alien, George Lucas, William Friedkin, and more, filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe is gearing up for a major summer. Before Lynch/Oz arrives in June, his documentary The Taking will arrive in cinemas on May 5 courtesy of Dekanalog and we’re pleased to debut the exclusive trailer.

A selection at Fantastic Fest and BFI London Film Festival, the film finds Philippe analyzing the myth of Arizona’s Monument Valley, its symbolism in westerns (including numerous legendary titles from John Ford), and its significance during the conquest of the West and in American history.

“Even though I have a little fun with John Ford, this intent is also not to trash John Ford. The intent is not to trash the function of myth. Myth is important, and the idea, as false as it may be, of this false narrative about the American west, still carries a lot of values that I can relate to,” Philippe said of the film.  “The crux of it is that we talk a lot about cancel culture these days, and that bugs me a lot. I would like us to be in more of a context culture.”

See the exclusive trailer below, and for recommended reading, pick up Scout Tafoya’s new book “But God Made Him a Poet: Watching John Ford in the 21st Century.”

The Taking opens on May 5.

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